Related links

“You build up a relationship with the ninja like he is a friend – it’s a bit like Tamagotchi.

“We have been blown away by the success of the game.”

Mr Reil was a doctoral researcher in neural systems at Oxford University and programmed computer simulations that mimicked human and animal movements.

In 2001, he co-founded NaturalMotion in Oxford.

To create characters that move realistically, animators have traditionally drawn a series of frames that are played back in set sequences.

But Mr Reil and his team wrote software that an animator can use to programme a ‘nervous system’ for a character he or she draws once. The software then makes the character’s body react to ever-changing on-screen scenarios.